Never Matters
by Dragon Ruler 06
Summary: Ichigo has a secret that he believes would turn all his friends against him. Yaoi MPREG Arrancar!Ichigo GrimmIchiUlqui 3some M 4 sum swearing
1. Bloody Cough

**Me: y, yes, I am starting a new fanfic. It is a GrimmIchiUlqui with an Arrancar Ichigo and possible betrayals and mpreg and plenty of yaoi. enjoy! ^^**

**Warnings: yaoi, mpreg, violence, bashing on sum characters, swearing**

**Pairings: GrimmIchiUlqui, ByaRen, AiGin, NoitraSzayel (don't ask, just sounded good), KyouJyuu, HisaKira, IkkaYumi, HitsuKarin, and JintaYuzu**

**Summary: The past few weeks, Ichigo has been acting very strange. One week he's himself and the next, he's using an act. No one could figure out why he was behaving so differently until he started having a bloody coughing fit similar to Jyuushiro's. After forcing his soul to separate from his body, they find out why and trigger the anger of a certain Cuarto and Sexta Espada. Which side is Ichigo really on? And would there really be a Winter War at all? Can the Independent Ichigo convince Aizen that it isn't necessary?**

**Disclaimer: no, I do not own Bleach for the exception of characters that no 1 has heard of.**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tea-colored eyes watched as the people down below wandered along the streets, communicating with each other and laughing at jokes or confessing their love for one another. The eyes blinked a couple times before scanning the area below to find a different place to watch. The wind blew at the being's orange hair, causing the tips to gently caress his cheek.

He did this often, watching the normal humans from the sky and wish his life was normal like theirs. He used to wish that he couldn't see ghost and spirits. He used to wish that he had nothing to do with Shinigami. He only allowed Rukia to stab him in the chest so he could borrow her power long enough to protect his family from that Hollow. He used to wish that he never had any spiritual pressure or energy of any sort so the Hollows wouldn't come after him in the first place. He used to wish he had never had anything to do with what happened in Soul Society or the Arrancars.

He used to just want a normal life with a normal family and have normal friends.

"What are you thinking about this time?" a husky voice whispered into his ear before Ichigo looked uncaringly over his shoulder to see the familiar Sexta Espada. "You always have that look on your face when you're thinking of something. What is it this time?"

"It's of no importance," Ichigo replied with a sigh as he stepped around Grimmjow. "What does Aizen want this time?"

"Who says I'm here on Aizen's orders?" Grimmjow chuckled, wrapping his arms around Ichigo's waist. "I don't always bother you on his orders, you know."

"Ulquiorra isn't here with you," Ichigo pointed out, looking around for a bit before attempting to sense the pale Arrancar's energy. He didn't feel it at all. "When you aren't here on Aizen's orders, Ulquiorra is always with you. He isn't here."

Grimmjow sighed as he nuzzled his nose into the crook of Ichigo's neck, nipping at the skin with his slightly pointed teeth. "Aizen wants you back in Hueco Mundo long enough for him to give you another assignment," he gave in.

"If it has anything to do with the Shinigami here, tell him I deny it," Ichigo growled out, pushing the teal-haired Arrancar from him as he started to walk away.

"He said that it didn't before he sent me here," Grimmjow sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don't know what it is, but he says it doesn't have anything to do with your friends."

Ichigo turned his head to look at the other for a quick second before turning around completely and opening a gargantuan. "Then let's go see what my new assignment will be if I accept it," was all he said before the two stepped in and the gargantuan closed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rukia and Renji were watching Ichigo with close eyes. Last week, he had been acting abnormal and now he was acting as his usual self. They had yet to see him take his Shinigami form for two months and he behaved as though he was keeping a secret from everyone. Hitsugaya and everyone else noticed this as well, but they kept an eye on him from a further distance.

They weren't the only ones that had noticed. Kisuke and Isshin had noticed as well. Isshin just behaved as the overly hyper father that randomly attacked his son, but on the weeks when Ichigo acted different, he left him alone. Kisuke could tell when the two switched as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kon, on the other hand, was having plenty of practice on how to behave like Ichigo, even though he believed he aroused the suspicion of the others. He knew what was going on with Ichigo, seeing as the orange-haired teen couldn't keep things from him, and helped him out as long as he kept everything a secret. So far, he was Ichigo every other week and could tell Isshin saw the difference. None of the others could, though. Which Ichigo found kind of sad since the spiritual pressure would be a dead give away. Then again, he always left some to make it look as though it really was him and not Kon.

He only gave control over to Kon when he felt the pain in his chest or couldn't breathe right. That was when he knew he needed to separate from his body or the upcoming consequences wouldn't be good.

It had only been a week since the mission Aizen had given him, which was just to find more powerful Hollows for him to turn into Arrancars for his army. He eventually found out why Ulquiorra wasn't around when he was in Hueco Mundo. Aizen had given him a mission to investigate the Shinigami in Karakura Town and report any new information to him since Ichigo always refused to spy on his friends for any reason, especially for Aizen.

What made Ichigo agitated and paranoid enough to bring Kon along with him without the stuffed animal toy was that a week was his limit until he felt the pains and had breathing problems. He already felt the slight pains in his chest during lunch, but couldn't leave because he knew one of the others would follow after him. He knew that they suspected something of him and didn't want to increase their suspicion. He decided he would switch with Kon at nighttime. He hadn't gone that long after feeling the first pain before, but he figured it wouldn't be too hard.

How wrong he was. They were heading towards Ichigo's house to hang around and discuss strategies in case any Arrancar attacked when it happened. Ichigo went into a coughing fit.

"It's nothing," he reassured the others after he coughed harshly a few times, beating at his chest before slipping his hands into his pockets, one finger tip checking to make sure Kon was still there.

"You're sure?" Rukia asked, standing in front of him and refusing to allow him by.

"I'm sure," Ichigo sighed. "Humans cough like that sometimes, Rukia. It's no big deal." The pain in his chest was growing, refusing to stop beating at his ribs until they were bruised or broken.

"The only time I've heard a cough like that was with Ukitake-taichou," Hitsugaya muttered, glancing at the taller teen from the corner of his eyes.

"I'm fine," the teen stated before coughing a few more times, harsher than the last. His hand curled into a fist before flying to his tight lips. He felt something rise up his throat, but it went back down, leaving a coppery taste at the back of his mouth. He recognized that taste and decided he better switch with Kon quick or the others would not let him go until they got some kind of explanation, which would lead to revealing something he didn't want them to know. "Let's just hurry up and get to my place," Ichigo suggested after clearing his throat. "We got cough medicine in the clinic."

His steps quickened a little bit, but not enough to make the others think he had another motive. He didn't see the three in the back exchanging words.

"I think he's hiding something," Ikkaku lowly whispered to Yumichika, who nodded in agreement.

"We should just keep an eye on him to make sure nothing else happens," Hitsugaya said before Yumichika could say anything back to Ikkaku.

"He's walking faster now," Yumichika pointed out. "Something is up, and I think it has something to do with his cough. It doesn't sound like a normal one. That last one sounded like he was about to thrown up. That would be beyond hideous." The other two just looked at him before rolling their eyes slightly. Their attention snapped to Ichigo when he started to cough roughly again.

This time, he was leaning against a brisk wall for support and his hand was covering his mouth with his eyes squeezed shut. He slid down the wall a little bit before breathing in heavily, lowering his hand before his eyes went wide. There were spots of red liquid on his palm that he was sure Rukia spotted since she was right beside his shoulder.

Rukia gasped as one hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes quivered a little bit before she looked over to Ichigo.

He coughed again before she could say anything. His hand stayed on his mouth as his whole body shook with each force from his chest. The pain inside of his ribcage grew greater until it felt like there was an earthquake within his chest. His heart beat faster and faster, pumping too much blood too fast. His chest rattled with each harsh cough, bringing him worse pain. His body slowly slid down the wall until he was supporting himself on his knees and one hand, the other still covering his mouth as more blood came out with his coughs.

The others eyes went wide. Rukia bent next to Ichigo, one arm on his beck. She felt helpless. She didn't know what to do. She barely knew what to do when Ukitake-taichou had a fit.

"Call someone from Fourth Division!" Hitsugaya ordered before Matsumoto nodded and pulled out a pager.

"No!" Ichigo objected. "I'm fine!"

"You're coughing up blood, Ichigo!" Renji pointed out in a harsh tone. "Don't you even dare say nothing is wrong with you!"

"I didn't say something wasn't wrong with me," Ichigo panted out, wiping away the blood that circled his mouth. "Just that I'm fine." 'And I need to switch with Kon before I have difficulty breathing,' he mentally added. "I can just take some medicine at the clinic and I'll be fine," Ichigo grunted, as he got back to his feet with Rukia's help.

"I don't think this can be cured with just medicine, Ichigo," Rukia stated, keeping on hand on his back and the other on his chest in case he fell. He appeared to have a problem standing straight and balanced at the moment, but that may just be an aftereffect of the coughing fit.

"Rukia's right," Hitsugaya agreed. "We should get someone from Fourth Division here to see what is wrong with you. We know you don't want to worry your family over this, so it would be better if-"

Ichigo cut him off. "Look, this happens from time to time!" he yelled at them. It wasn't a complete lie. When he had a harsh cough or breathing problems, he immediately switched with Kon before it got out of hand. Besides, it has happened before when he was a kid and his father managed to get it under control. "I just need some medicine from the clinic and I'll be perfectly fine."

He started to walk off, but as soon as he didn't have the support from Rukia, he pressed his hand against the wall of the building to keep himself up straight. He didn't understand why his body had always reacted like this after a week of inhabiting it. And the only solution he could come up with to stop it was to hand his body to Kon while he was separated from his body for a whole week.

He wasn't planning on alerting his father of this. After all, as far as Isshin was concerned, this all stopped when Ichigo was a child. The teen didn't know what had stopped it, but he didn't care since he was cured. But now, whatever it was, was back with a vengeance. All he planned to do when he got home was clean off the blood and switch with Kon as fast as he could.

'_It would be a good idea for you to leave your body at least once every week_.' Tousen's voice ran through his head. He, Gin, and Aizen had spoken about something barely moments before Ichigo was given that piece of advice. He didn't understand why it was given to him, but he took it when he coughed up blood for the first time. No one knew about the first incident since he was in his room, and Kon was the only one that knew the secret Ichigo was trying so hard to keep from the others.

A few more bloody coughs escaped his lips that were covered by his other hand. 'I just need to hang on long enough to switch with Kon,' he thought to himself, repeating it over and over as though it was a mantra. The pain in his chest eventually disappeared, but he knew it wouldn't last long. He breathed in heavily, trying to fill his aching lungs with enough air to get back to the clinic that was barely a few blocks away.

Chad, noticing Ichigo's reluctance to move, went over to the smaller teen, stepping around Rukia to get to him. He placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder before the orange-haired teen looked up at him from the corner of his eyes. "I'm fine," he reassured, despite the blood on his hand and lips.

"No, you're not," Uryu argued with a glare. "You're about to fall over!"

"Didn't know you cared," Ichigo weakly chuckled before his lungs started to burn. He tried to breath in some air, but couldn't get any. It was like there wasn't any left in the atmosphere. 'Damn!' he inwardly swore. 'If I stop breathing now…' He couldn't finish his thought before his word was engulfed in darkness. The only sounds he heard were his friends calling out to him. The only thing he felt was Chad's large hands stopping him from falling to the ground and placing him on the broader teen's back.

"Hanatarou should be around here," Hitsugaya stated, looking between Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Matsumoto. "Find him! Check Urahara's first!"

"Yes, sir," the three replied before they ran off in different directions.

"Let's just get him to Urahara's," Rukia suggested. "Hanatarou might be there and it would save us some time going there instead of waiting for one of them to come back and say he is."

"No," Chad said. "We should get him to his house. His father may know what's going on with him." Even though a part of him doubted, an even larger portion of his heart and mind said it was better to take Ichigo to Isshin than Urahara.

The others were reluctant, but eventually nodded in agreement before Chad sprinted off with Ichigo on his back. Everyone blinked in astonishment about his speed before following the larger teen after a moment. They caught up with him a few yards from the house.

"He doesn't look like he's breathing," Orohime nervously said when she looked at the unconscious Ichigo.

"Let's hope that isn't the case, Orohime," Rukia panted out before they were in front of the Kurosaki Clinic.

Chad didn't bother waiting for anyone to make a second opinion about taking Ichigo to Urahara's. He just went on inside with Ichigo secured against his back. As soon as he stopped in through the doors, Orohime went past him in a blur to locate Isshin as quickly as possible.

"Wow, she is worried," Renji commented when the others got inside.

"Of course she is!" Rukia scolded him, slapping his arm. "Aren't you?!"

"Of course I am!" Renji yelled back.

"Stop yelling or you might wake Ichigo up," Uryu sighed before Orohime came back with Isshin behind her.

When his eyes landed on Ichigo's still form, his eyes went. "Bring him in here, Chad," he said in a scared tone, motioning the large teen into an empty room at the end of the hall. Once in the room, Chad placed Ichigo's body down and stepped back before Isshin examined his son. Everyone else gathered around the door, wanting to know what Isshin had to say about what was wrong with Ichigo. "You can come in here as long as you don't make too much noise," Isshin sighed.

"Kurosaki-san?" Orohime timidly spoke. "Is Ichigo going to be okay?"

"I don't know," Isshin hesitantly replied, closing his eyes tightly as he rubbed his forehead. "Orohime, Uryu, and Chad. Can you three please leave for a moment? I'll call you back in a minute."

Orohime nodded before she slowly made her way out the door, followed by Uryu and finally Chad. "Why did you ask them to leave?" Rukia asked, her eyes at the door before going over to Isshin when he spoke.

"Because what I am about to share with you, they don't need to know," Isshin replied, his head turning a little to look at the others. "I know what you all are." Their eyes went wide. "You are Shinigami. You are a taichou, am I right?" he asked Hitsugaya before he nodded. "You're a fukutaichou. Correct?" Renji nodded. "The rest of you are seated officers for the exception of that woman with the large chest. Matsumoto Rangiku is a fukutaichou, right?"

"She's mine," Hitsugaya stated, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at Isshin, suddenly unsure of the old man.

"Relax," he sighed. "I was a Shinigami, taichou class, before I met Ichigo's mother and decided to stay in the human world using a gigai that I asked Kisuke to make for me. That is how Ichigo got his powers at all and why he's always been able to see the dead." He sighed heavily. "When Ichigo was younger, he had an infection in his lungs. It wasn't tuberculosis. I would recognize it if it was. I don't know what it was. And I couldn't find a way to cure it. I had already lost my wife a year before and I refused to lose my son as well.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't do much but watch his body slowly kill him. He never knew of this and I never planned on telling him. He died when he was ten, but I was selfish and didn't want to lose him so soon after already losing one loved one. I asked Kisuke to make a special gigai for Ichigo for his soul to inhabit since I refused to put him back inside of the body that had killed him and was still carrying the infection.

"The gigai I asked Kisuke to make was supposed to grow with Ichigo's spirit, like he was a normal child again. When he died and his soul separated from his body, there was someone with him - an older man dressed in black and wearing a pair of sunglasses. It took me a while until I figured out that Ichigo would eventually inherit the powers of his Shinigami heritage and that the man was the spirit of his zanpaktou, Zangetsu.

"I just don't understand how he got the infection again. He shouldn't with this gigai." His head dropped into his hands as he stared down at the still form of his eldest child and only son. "I guess the gigai turned into an actual body for him and he somehow got it back. I don't know."

"Maybe it's the spiritual pressure," Hitsugaya said with a shrug. "Some gigai can't handle a Shinigami's spiritual pressure. It has to be custom made for certain Shinigami."

"No, that shouldn't be the case," Isshin stated. "I figured that at most, Ichigo would turn into a Vaizard and told Kisuke to make a gigai that can handle that sort of spiritual pressure."

"Would it help to separate his soul from his body?" Rukia asked.

"It might," Isshin replied, looking at the young woman over his shoulder. "Miss Kuchiki?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have that glove with you? I'm afraid I lost mine a while back."

Rukia nodded before pulling it out of her pocket and slipping it on. "Wait," Hitsugaya said, bringing attention to him. "Ichigo was in a rush earlier like he expected something like this to happen. If that's the case, wouldn't he carry that mod-soul Kon?"

"I can go get him real fast," Renji volunteered before Isshin reached into Ichigo's pocket and pulled out the small ball.

"He takes Kon with him in case he needed to suddenly separate," Isshin stated. "Kon is right here." He placed the mod-soul pod into Ichigo's mouth before the two separated. The eyes of everyone in the room went wide when they saw what Ichigo was and figured out what he was hiding from them.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Me: cliffhanger, though ppl probably no what it is. -sigh- Figure it out if u can! Review! **


	2. Arrancar Prince

**Me: thank u 4 all the reviews! I am so glad ppl like the story! –SQUEAL!!!!!- -deep breath- now on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, only the characters that will show up l8r on that no 1 has heard of. U'll find out whom eventually.**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ulquiorra rose from the bed, the covers slipping down his slim shoulder slightly as he looked around with blank eyes. He couldn't figure out what, but something didn't feel right and it was bothering him. His stomach rolled and twisted slightly, but he ignored it. He knew what was wrong there and knew it wasn't what was bothering him and that the nausea would pass in a moment.

There was a knock on his door before Ulquiorra allowed the person entry. "Hey," Grimmjow greeted as he walked in. "You okay? I felt a spike in your energy."

"I'm fine," Ulquiorra replied, lying back down on the bed, not caring that his torso was exposed.

"Don't feed me that bullshit," the teal-haired Arrancar muttered as he went over to the bed and sat down at the foot. "What's wrong? You're energy doesn't spike up like that for no reason."

The pale Arrancar sighed slightly, turning his head a little to look towards Grimmjow. "I sense something is wrong, but I can't figure out what."

"Think it's that?" Grimmjow asked, looking towards Ulquiorra's stomach before the other shook his head.

"No," he replied. "I'm sure it's not."

"Then what?"

"I don't know."

Grimmjow blinked in surprised a couple times. Ulquiorra never admitted to not knowing something. Even if it was something he couldn't figure it out, he eventually did and only left the questioner alone in silence. This was unusual.

"Any thoughts?" he asked.

Ulquiorra was silent for a moment, his eyes staring into the wall with thought. "Ichigo," he said after a moment's silence. "I've only felt like this once before and it was because something happened to him. Remember?"

"Yeah," Grimmjow sighed. "We found him surrounded by all kinds of Hollows and he was getting tired. Damn idiot, testing his strength out like that when it was still brand new to him."

"I think something may be wrong with him," Ulquiorra interrupted. "We should go see if it is him or not."

"And if it's not?" the other scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Then I don't know what it is," was all Ulquiorra said before he threw the covers off his nude form and went over to his wardrobe for some clothing.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kon shot up, breathing in gulps of air. He felt every pain that was inside of Ichigo's chest as soon as they would switch. He could feel the lungs burning for oxygen and was surprised Ichigo didn't suffocate to death from the delay of the switch. Maybe it was just his energy keeping him alive until they could. He let out some hard coughs to clear the throat before realizing that he and Ichigo were not alone in the room and hesitantly looked towards the others.

They were all wide eyed at Ichigo's appearance. He was completely dressed in white clothing with black trimmings, similar to an Arrancar's outfit. It was opened on his chest, showing a hole exactly where his heart should have been. A fragment of his mask was covering the right side of his forehead and right cheek, barely reaching out towards the center of his face. There was a pair of red lines stretching from under his hairline to about an inch from his nose, going into a point. Zangetsu, despite how large the zanpakuto was, wasn't seen anywhere near him.

Kon's eyes went towards Isshin with his head down, thinking that this was the worst situation for Ichigo personally. Ichigo still didn't know about his father being a former Shinigami. And he knew he was going to get an earful from the other if he told them anything.

"Kon," Rukia choked out before he looked over to her. "Please tell me that this is just a joke of some sort."

Kon chewed on his bottom lip, eyes going towards Ichigo for a second, before he slowly shook his head.

"How the hell is he an Arrancar?!" Renji yelled out. "He wasn't a Shinigami long enough to even get close to Hollowfication! And he wasn't attacked by any Hollow strong enough to turn him into one!"

"I can't say!" Kon whined. "He made me promise!"

"You knew about this?" Hitsugaya asked with a raised eyebrow. "And didn't tell anyone?"

"He made me promise not to tell anyone," Kon said, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I had to keep my promise to him."

"How long as he been an Arrancar, Kon?" Isshin asked, looking up at him.

"A couple months, I think," Kon replied in a low, quiet tone. "And if certain pair figures out that you all know about this, they're going to think you're gonna try and kill him and overreact about things before they get an explanation."

"Just explain this to us, Kon," Rukia sighed, leaning against a counter to keep herself up. This was too much for her to handle.

"I don't know everything," Kon stated. "Ichigo didn't tell me much. He just said he lost control one day and when he turned into a Hollow, he was already strong enough to be turned into a fully developed Arrancar and Aizen found him some time after he turned into a Hollow and turned him into an Arrancar."

"So he works for Aizen and he's been playing with us this whole time?" Renji growled out.

"No!" Kon yelled at him. "Ichigo didn't tell any of you because he didn't want to hurt you. He figured that if he told you what had happened, you would automatically assume he worked for Aizen and call him a traitor. He didn't want that. And for your information, Ichigo isn't like those other Arrancars, who have only Aizen. He's independent and Aizen knows that if he pushed Ichigo too far, he'll leave.

"And in case you are wondering, every single time Aizen tried to give him a mission that involved spying on or fighting against you guys, Ichigo always refused. He told him right from the beginning that if he made him turn against you guys or anyone else he cares for, he will leave."

"Kon," Rukia sighed. "Can't you just tell us everything you know about this?"

"No," Kon replied. "I don't know much other than he used to be a Vaizard."

"What is a Vaizard?" Renji muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"A Vaizard is a Shinigami that crossed over into the realm of Hollows to gain their powers," Isshin replied. "There are a few around here that used to be captains and vice captains. I take it they were training Ichigo how to control his Hollow half." He looked up at Kon, who nodded in response. Isshin sighed heavily. "Now I understand why his body was rejecting him."

"It does every week he's in it," Kon said. "That's usually when we switch for a week so he could give his body a break."

"This body isn't made to withstand the spiritual pressure of an Arrancar," Isshin muttered lowly under his breath. "Just as far as a Vaizard."

"Aren't they sort of the same thing, only opposites?" Rukia asked.

"In a way, yes," Isshin replied. "Vaizards are stronger than the average Shinigami because of their Inner Hollows. But an Arrancar, depending on what kind of Hollow they were before and what their original strength used to be, can be much stronger than a Vaizard, especially spiritual pressure wise. And Hollows that used to be Shinigami were already more powerful than the average Hollow, so an Arrancar made from a Vaizard that went through Hollowfication would be extremely powerful."

"How strong should Ichigo be right now?" Hitsugaya asked. So far, he was the only one keeping a cool head, beside Isshin, who strangely didn't seem bothered by the fact that his son was now an Arrancar.

"Judging by his original strength and power, then the slight increase when he turned into a full Vaizard," Isshin muttered lowly under his breath before his eyes spotted someone on the back of Ichigo's neck. Curious, he tilted his son's head to the side a little bit before seeing the large bold zero.

"Zero?" Renji said, lifting an eyebrow at the number. "Why does he have a zero on his neck?"

The others though for a minute until Kon sighed in slight defeat. He knew they wouldn't let him go unless he told them about everything he knew about the situation. "It's the Espada Rank," he stated. "I remember Ichigo mentioning that the lower the number, the higher their rank is. Their rank also says who is stronger than who from one through ten. If Ichigo has a zero on his neck, that means he is an Espada and he's the strongest Arrancar."

"Then he has to be considered as a threat to Soul Society," Hitsugaya hesitantly said, closing his eyes. "He knows too much as it is. He could be an inside source for Aizen."

"Why would I do that?" a scratchy voice asked before everyone looked over at Ichigo, who was rubbing his unmasked eye. "How much do you know now?"

"Plenty," Rukia replied.

There was an uneasy pause. "Look, guys," he sighed. "I didn't want you to find out because I didn't want you to think I chose him over you. I didn't want to hurt any of you by this. And by the way, dad, hanging around the Espada, one tends to learn how to keep the ears opened when unconscious. It saves us from pranks." Isshin lowered his head in shame. "I don't care if you kept all that from me. I bet you originally did it to protect me from all of this. Didn't turn out the way you wanted, huh?"

"Unfortunately, it didn't," Isshin lowly chuckled.

"Chad, Uryu, Inoue," Ichigo called. "Don't think I don't know you're listening through the door and wall. Stop it. Come on in. I won't bite." A few seconds past before the door opened and the three stepped in, their eyes going wide when they saw Ichigo. "I know. This is a shock."

"How did this happen to you, Kurosaki-kun?" Orohime asked with her hand over her mouth.

"I should wait until the others come in so I don't have to repeat myself," Ichigo sighed as he got to his feet. "I give them three seconds." They stared at him unusually before a heavy thud was heard hitting the outside wall of the clinic. "Especially with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra out there." He took a couple testing steps to see if he would be stopped, but the only one that tried to stop him was Hitsugaya.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo," he said. "But with you as an Arrancar now, we can't risk you going back to Aizen."

"Because for all you know, I could be an inside spy, right, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow. "You shouldn't be sorry. You're doing your job. I should be sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you as soon as this happened. I'm sorry I kept it a secret. I'm sorry for being weak enough to allow my Hollow half enough control for Aizen to find me as a Hollow and turn me into an Arrancar. And I'm sorry, but I won't fight you unless you give me no choice. I need to get to them. If you stand in my way, then I have no choice."

"Why do you feel like you need to get to them?" Rukia asked before a loud crash was heard.

"Because Grimmjow has a temper and Ulquiorra is probably worried as hell," the orange-haired teen sighed as he stepped around the short captain and headed out the room.

"What the hell?!" they heard Ikkaku's voice exclaim when Ichigo was in the hallway. The others left the room, ready to battle if they needed to.

At the door stood both the Sexta and Cuatro Espada. Grimmjow had his zanpakuto unsheathed, gripped tightly in his hand. Ulquiorra wasn't too far from him with blood smeared on his hand and a couple of droplets of red on his cheek.

"They found out," Ulquiorra said.

Ichigo nodded, even though he knew it was not a question. "We can't always keep secrets a secret now, can we, Ulqui?" he asked.

"Not unless you're really good at keeping them," Grimmjow commented, sheathing his weapon.

"What are you two doing here?"

"I sensed something was wrong and figured it had something to do with you," Ulquiorra replied. "I was right. Your friends found out about you."

"They don't know the whole story yet," Ichigo pointed out with a low sigh and a shrug of his shoulders as he calmly went over to them. He gave Ulquiorra a peck on the lips before Grimmjow wrapped his arm around Ichigo's waist.

"Okay, officially confused!" Matsumoto commented.

"Grimmjow," Ichigo sighed. "Let go of me. We don't want to traumatize anyone." Grimmjow glared at Ichigo's friends, reluctantly releasing the hold he had on the other's waist.

"Ichigo," Hitsugaya spoke, already separated from his body with mod-soul controlling his gigai. "We can't allow you to leave."

Ichigo smirked slightly. "Can't?" he repeated, looking towards Grimmjow before Ulquiorra and finally the others, who all were separated from their gigai for the exception of his father. "Then catch us if you can. If you can catch us, then I'll go along without a fight. If you can't, then we're safely in Hueco Mundo and you guys give up."

"Sounds like an interesting challenge," Ulquiorra commented. "Where's the meeting point going to be?"

"We didn't even agree to this!" Renji pointed out in a yell.

Ichigo ignored them as he thought for a minute. "At the school," he replied before looking over at the others. "And you can't race ahead of us to corner us. You won't know how long it would take us or what we could be planning. Accept?"

"When did this turn into a game for you, Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"When you found I am the Arrancar Prince and when I said I won't fight you unless you give me no choice," the orange-haired Arrancar stated with a low sigh. The others were confused at the little 'Arrancar Prince' part. "I'm trying to give myself an option other than fighting against you guys and hurting you more than you already are." He looked at the other two Espada before smirking slightly and glancing back towards the Shinigami. "Catch us if you can."

"Wait!" Orohime yelled out before the three Arrancar shot out the door and into the sky.

"He's not going to make this easy for us," Hitsugaya sighed. "Ikkaku. Yumichika. Matsumoto. Right now, try and catch Ichigo. We'll fill you in on everything else later. Let's move!"

"Yes, sir," the others said before they ran out the clinic and chased after the Arrancars.

Ulquiorra turned his head slightly to see the Shinigami chasing after them before looking back over to Ichigo. "What do they know so far?" he asked.

"That I'm an Arrancar, my dad is the one who I got my original powers from, I have a Hollow half, and that Aizen found me and turned me onto an Arrancar when he found me," Ichigo replied before looking at the pale Espada with a smirk. "Anything else, I wasn't paying attention."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Grimmjow chuckled before Ichigo shrugged his shoulders and laughed out loud.

"Gin!" Ichigo yelled out. "I know you're watching us on your monitors! Get someone ready to open a gargantuan for us when we get to the school!"

"Think he'll pay attention?" the Sexta Espada asked.

"He better or I'll kick his ass, no matter what Aizen says or does to me," Ichigo replied with a smirk.

"Well I don't think he's going to risk not listening," Ulquiorra sighed as they picked up the speed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Gin smirked when he watched Ichigo yell out into the sky, talking to him. How he knew Gin was always watching the monitors, he never could figure that out. But it was always amusing to watch the Arrancar Prince yell out into thin air.

"Well, better do what he asked!" Gin chirped before calling, "Noitra! Szayel! Got something I need ya to do!"

A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal the tall Fifth Espada and pink-haired Eighth. "What is you need us to do, Ichimaru-sama?" Szayel asked with a small smile.

"Ichigo was found out!" Gin exclaimed cheerfully. "Be ready to open a gargantuan for him above Karakura High. He's playing a game with his Shinigami friends."

"Sounds like him to avoid harming them," Noitra muttered before turning around and walking off.

"Noitra!" Szayel whined, running to the taller Espada. "Wait up!"

"Why do we both need to go?" Noitra asked when Szayel was next to him.

"Because we may be needed in case a Shinigami tries to come through the gargantuan," Szayel sighed. "Besides, he knew you wouldn't do anything unless I was there with you. And he wouldn't send me alone in case a Shinigami came through because you're paranoid that something will happen that will result in damaging my physical health."

"I am not paranoid, damn it!" Noitra stated.

"You are," Szayel chuckled slightly, waving his finger side to side. "You just won't admit it."

"What did I do when I was alive or when I was a Hollow to be stuck with you forever?" Noitra joked, earning a small smack on his arm. "Didn't hurt."

"Wasn't supposed to."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"That the place?" Grimmjow asked, nudging his head towards a building not too far away from them.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied with a nod of his head. "Now that we're so close, they're going to try harder to capture us."

"We can easily beat them," the teal-haired Arrancar scoffed.

"I would rather avoid physical fighting against them, Grimmjow," Ichigo sighed with a couple shakes of his head. "Why is it that Ulquiorra can understand that, but you can't?"

"Because you're both submissive," the other stated with a smirk. "You're mine and he's yours. I'm the main dominant of our relationship."

"And he's the main submissive and I'm stuck in the middle," Ichigo added with a roll of his eyes before looking over to Ulquiorra, who seemed to have been looking around for some reason. "Ulquiorra? Something up?"

"I'm not sure," Ulquiorra replied, still glancing around.

Ichigo lifted an eyebrow before glancing down at the area they were above. "Damn," he swore. "This is where the Vaizards normally are. Keep an eye open. Even the Vaizards don't know of my change."

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra nodded once before they heard a, "Howl, Zabimaru!"

"Should have said no attacks," Ichigo commented as he dodged the fanged zanpakuto. Ulquiorra tilted to the side a little bit when the weapon went back towards its wielder while Grimmjow just glared at them, his hands clenched into fists.

"I really want to just turn back and kill them all!" he growled out, popping his knuckles.

"No!" Ichigo yelled. "They are to receive no harm, Grimmjow!"

"You're so soft," the teal-haired Arrancar snorted before Ichigo grabbed his arm and picked up the speed, trying to put more distance between them before Grimmjow decided he wasn't going to listen to orders. Ulquiorra kept pace. "Hey! I don't need to be dragged around, damn it!"

"Unless you want to fight against Hirako again, yes you do," Ichigo commented, letting go of Grimmjow's arm. "Just keep your speed. We're almost there. And I can see the gargantuan opening." A smirk grew on his face when it opening was large enough for him to see who was there. "He sends Noitra and Szayel."

"Better than a fraccion member," Ulquiorra commented. "If those Shinigami do catch up to us, I doubt us three and a fraccion member or two would be enough to fight them off long enough for us to enter the gargantuan and close it before one of them enters."

"Why do you doubt we could handle them ourselves?" Grimmjow asked with a faint glare.

"Because Ichigo doesn't wish to fight them and you know exactly why else, Grimmjow," the pale Arrancar pointed out.

"You two hiding something from me?" Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His thing to tell," Grimmjow replied, pointing towards Ulquiorra.

"It's amusing that we can have a conversation like this while we have Shinigami after us," Ulquiorra sighed before a single twitch met the corner of his lips.

"I think he almost smiled!" Grimmjow exclaimed with a single laugh before Ulquiorra rolled his eyes with a shake of his head.

Ichigo just snickered slightly before noticing something in the air surrounding them. "Oh shit," he said. "Forgot about her zanpakuto." He turned his head to see Matsumoto holding the hilt of her sword, but the hilt held no blade.

"What's up with all this ash?" Grimmjow asked.

"It's Matsumoto's zanpakuto's ability!" Ichigo stated. "The ash is a weapon for her! Pick up speed and clear out of it before she uses it on us." His warning came a little too late before Ulquiorra gasped out loudly and clutched his now bleeding side.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Me: not as long as the first chapter, but it'll do and it has a cliffhanger! –evil laugh- I'm playing, but seriously, the more u review, the faster I'll get the next chappy up. K? deal? Then review!**


	3. Condition

**Me: well thanx 4 all the reviews 4 the last chapter, now i hope u enjoy this 1! now we no what wrong with Ulqui and how Ichi reacts. poor Grimmy gonna get tortured a lot by these two. o, also, i forgot who it was but sum1 has been pointing out the way i spelled the names and i just went back 2 the manga 2 recheck. thank u 4 pointing out the name spelling 2 me. i'l start writing the names write now.**

**and sum1 asked me as 2 how Ulquiorra got hurt so easily and y no 1 is fighting, it's becuz of Ulqui's condition, it weakens him a bit since a majority of his energy is going 2 the baby (yes, every1, Ulquiorra is preggers) and there is no fiting between them becuz Ichi don't wanna fite his friends. Arrancar mpreg will b explained in this chapter. If Grimmjow had his way from the beginning, then yeah, there would be fiting.**

**Disclaimer: no, i do not own Bleach. wish i did, but i don't.**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ulquiorra's eyes grew wide as he saw the blood leak from his injury. Ichigo quickly grabbed him when the orange-haired arrancar saw that the pale Espada was in too much of a shock to continue on. He saw the growing blood stain on the clothing Ulquiorra wore before his teeth clenched and his hands curled into fist, careful not to hurt the Cuatro Espada.

"Ichigo?" Grimmjow called. "Ichigo, let me take him before you snap him in half."

Ichigo wasn't aware of how hard he was holding the pale arrancar until Grimmjow spoke. He didn't even notice when Nnoitra and Szayel came over as fast as they could. "Get him to Los Noches and heal him up," the Arrancar Prince lowly said, handing Ulquiorra over to the Sexta Espada. "I need to teach the shinigami a lesson." Grimmjow took Ulquiorra before Ichigo suddenly turned around and shot towards the shinigami.

With a low sigh, Grimmjow was about to sonido to the gargantuan, but Ulquiorra's quiet voice made him pause for a moment. "You need to stop him, Grimmjow," he managed to whisper, even though his shock. "He'll regret it later on."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes before handing the pale Espada over to Nnoitra. "Heal him up and try to snap him out of his shock," he said, looking at Szayel. "I'm gonna go stop Ichigo before he does something he will really regret." The two nodded before opening a new gargantuan, the old one was already closed, and heading into Hueco Mundo as Grimmjow turned to look at Ichigo fighting against the shinigami with his zanpaktou that appeared whenever he needed it, though it looked as though he was mostly going after the large chested woman. The others were trying to stop him from killing her. "Damn it," the Sexta swore bfore heading down.

Ichigo swung Zangetsu towards Matsumoto, who easily dodged the large blade. Renji threw Zabimaru towards the orange-haired teen, but Ichigo brought up hs blade and blocked the attack while dodging it so the other fangs of the zanpaktou didn't hit him. "Cero!" he exclaimed as a red ball formed into his hand and shot towards the red-headed fukutaichou. Renji barely dodged it. Hitsugaya headed towards him next, his bankai activated since he knew taking Ichigo down would not be easy.

He aimed his blade at Ichigo's shoulder so he wouldn't be able to use his arm that easily and it might give them a bit of an advantage, but Ichigo moved to the side and swung Zangetsu at the small taichou. Yumichika quickly appeared when he saw the blade going towards Hitsugaya's head and struck Zangetsu, making Ichigo lose aim and barely graze the ice wings on the taichou's back. Ichigo glared towards Yumichika before delivering a swift kick to the shinigami's stomach, making his opponent lose his breath for a small moment long enough for Ichigo to deliver a swift strike to Yumichika's back, knocking the fifth seat to the ground.

Ikkaku, seeing his long-time companion going down, charged at Ichigo with the head of his staff aimed at Ichigo's side. The arrancar dodged and elbowed Ikkaku in the face before kicking him in the side. Hitsugaya aimed another attack, but a white and blue blur grabbed Ichigo before the attack could hit, showing a safe distance awat to be Grimmjow, now holding a struggling Ichigo.

"Let me go, Grimmjow!" he yelled at his dominant lover. "I demand you let me go right now!"

"Keep fighting and you'll do something you'll regret," Grimmjow pointed out, saying words similar to Ulquiorra's. "Now as much as I would love to join in on the fighting, Ulquiorra needs us right now and we can't stay here fighting like this."

Ichigo stilled once Grimmjow said those words, knowing they were true. "Fine," he sighed before Grimmjow released him. He looked towards the Shinigami that were tensed up, expecting another attack. Ichigo merely raised Zangetsu and pointed towards them. "Next time you attack someone close to me, and I don't care the reason, I won't go easy on you," he warned as Grimmjow opened a gargantuan and stepped inside. Zangetsu disappeared from Ichigo's hand as he followed after the Sexta Espada. As it started to close, he added a few more words. "You may be my friends, but I will still fight against you if I'm provoked." Then it closed shut.

The Arrancar Prince looked up at Grimmjow before nodding his head and the two tookm off towards the medical room where they knew Szayel had Ulquiorra. Ichigo was still in a foul mood and Grimmjow knew anything could set him off. He wouldn't be surprised if they got into an argument within the next ten minutes.

Once in the medical room, Ulquiorra was already placed onto the metal table in the middle of the room. The pale arrancar refused to lay down. He stayed sitting up, his knees pulled to his chest, one hand on his still bleeding wound and the other on his stomach.

Curious by the position, Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow. "Do you have any idea why he went into a shock like this?" he asked.

"That is his thing to tell, Ichi," Grimmjow replied with a sigh and shrug of his shoulders while Szayel managed to get Ulquiorra to uncover his stomach and wound long enough to check him. "If we can get him out of his shock, and if he feels like it, he'll tell you. If Szayel doesn't spill first." A small glare was directed at him by the pink-haired Octava.

"Just tell me why he's like this," Ichigo growled. "You know. I know you do! Just tell me, Grimmjow!"

"If he wants you to know, he'll tell you, goddamn it!" Grimmjow yelled back at him. Less than three minutes and the argument had already shown its ugly face. "Stop trying to pry some fucking information out of me!"

"Why does it seem like when it concerns Ulquiorra, they are always fighting each other?" Szayel asked as he ran his slightly glowing hand over Ulquiorra's wound, slowly healing it.

Nnoitra shrugged uncaringly. "Hell if I know," he replied. "They're both dominants to Ulquiorra and when one knows information that the other doesn't, then they start this shit up."

Szayel sighed with a roll of his eyes as Ulquiorra's injury sealed shut. Ulquiorra still wasn't moving nor showing any sign of life. He placed his still glowing hand over Ulquiorra's midsection, looking up into the green eyes to make sure that what he was doing wouldn't bring Ulquiorra out of his shock in a negative way. Ulquiorra glanced at him and blinked once, his fingertips on the skin of his stomach. Szayel nodded slightly before spreading his energy through the other arrancar's stomach, searching for something.

Both Ichigo and Grimmjow went silent, waiting for what Szayel had to say. It felt like hours had passed, yet time stood still. It lasted only a few seconds until Szayel removed his hand with a comforting smile and made Ulquiorra look at him. "Ulquiorra?" he softly called, hoping the Cuatro Espada could still hear him through his shock. "Ulquiorra? It's fine. It's still there. It's fine. It's still with you. It's perfectly fine."

Ichigo was still confused, but whatever Szayel was talking about and repeating over and over again seemed to have been working. It was slowly bringing Ulquiorra out of his shock. "Fine?" he repeated in a quiet tone.

"It's perfectly fine," Szayel assured with a small smile. "Actually, I should say _they_ are fine."

"They?!" three voices repeated in unison, one highly confused. Szayel held up two fingers.

"Alright, obviously everyone but me knows what's going on!" Ichigo exclaimed with a complaining tone.

"Ulquiorra's thing to say," Szayel chirped, copying Grimmjow from earlier. "But before you start interrogating him," he continued in a serious manner as Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest with a huff, "I suggest letting him rest for a little while. He's been having a hard time sleeping and I'm sure he could use a rest after his little scare."

"Alright," Ichigo sighed. "Need help getting to the room, Ulqui?" he asked the pale arrancar.

"I'll be fine," Ulquiorra replied. It was so like him to go through a scare of some sort until he felt better and acted like it never even happened. Ichigo rolled his eyes slightly as he helped Ulquiorra get to the bedroom. Grimmjow was right behind them.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hitsugaya was not a happy captain. The day was just took full of things he truly did not want to report to the soutaichou, but unfortunately had no choice but to. He could just imagine Yamamoto's reaction, along with the rest of the captains and everyone else that at least liked Ichigo. Heck, the Shinigami and everyone else in Karakura were upset about it. A few didn't even want to talk about it.

Everyone was gathered in Orihime's room where the large television was stationed. Yumichika had a bruise on his back where Ichigo struck him while Ikkaku supported a shiner and a scowl. Everyone else was either talking about what happened or whatever Aizen could have possibly done to get Ichigo to work for him.

No one wanted to turn him into the soutaichou of the Seiritei, but they had no choic but to report it and do the best they could to defend Ichigo from the execution that Yamamoto would order on the sopt once he is told. With a low sigh, Hitsugaya paid attention to the large TV's static screen beore it cleared up and showed the soutaichou.

"Report, Hitsugaya-taichou," Yamamoto said in a calm manner.

"Sir," Hitsugaya greeted. "About an hour ago, Kurosaki Ichigo collapsed after coughing up blood. When we took him to his father, Kurosaki Isshin, who is a Shinigami that left Seiritei to be with Ichigo's mother, we were forced to separate Ichigo from his body. What we saw was not what we were expecting to see."

"What is it?" the elderly shinigami asked.

Hitsugaya inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he tilted his head down. "Kurosaki Ichigo is an Arrancar," he simply said, plain and simple.

Yamamoto was quiet for a moment, his eyes closing slowly. He gripped his staff tightly, as if internally battling with what he should and should not do about the situation. "What do you know about this?" he asked.

"Renji," Hitsugaya called, thinking Renji would handle it better than he could. He just didn't feel like he could keep himself together over this. Not like he normally could.

"Yes, sir," Renji replied with a nod of his head, understanding what the small taichou wanted him to do. "When we took Ichigo to his father and separated his body and spirit, we saw that he was a fully developed Arrancar. We interrogated the mod-soul Kon for information before Ichigo gained consciousness. He told us that he's had an inner Hollow this entire time and lost control over it, forcing him to turn into a Hollow powerful enough to already be ready to turn into an Arrancar. Aizen had found him shortly after his tranformation and changed him into an Arrancar. Ichigo calls himself the Arrancar Prince."

Yamamoto's eyes snapped open in surprise, but Renji kept going. "He told us that would not fight us unless we give him no choice and that Aizen has no control over him. Barely a moment later, Espadas Four and Six came in and Ichigo left with them. We tried to stop them but we the Fourth Espada was injured, Ichigo turned and attacked us. Espada Six caught him befoe he could cause any damage further than a bruise. They escaped through a gargantuan before we could catch them."

Once again, the soutaichou was silent, thinking over the report. "The Arrancar Prince?" he asked before all the shinigami nodded. Yamamoto let out a low hum. "There has not been an Arrancar Prince born for the past three centuries, since the last major war between Heuco Mundo and the Seireitei. It seems that every time an Arrancar Royalty shows up, another war is happening.

"Aizen must have turned Ichigo knowing that that he would be the next Arrancar Prince, and hoped Kurosaki would take his side in this war. But unlike the rest of the Arrancar and Hollows, no one can truly command the Arrancar Prince. Once he chooses his side, he stays by that side."

"He's practically said that Aizen doesn't control him and he won't fight us," Rukia pointed out. "What could that mean, soutaichou?"

"It could mean that he is either nuetral or will fight for us if we ask him to break away from Aizen," Yamamoto replied. "It could also mean that he will fight for Aizen, just not against Soul Society. One cannot truly know. Keep an eye on him. Try and find a way into Hueco Mundo if he does not return within three days and talk him into fighting for our side. If he agrees, Soul society will leave him be. If he refuses, we have no choic but to remove him."

"Understood, sir!" the shinigami in the room said in unison before the screen turned to static.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So Ichigo was revealed?" Aizen asked, looking over to the smiling Gin, who nodded his head.

"Yep!" Gin chirped. "He also attacked them when Ulquiorra was hurt!"

Aizen's eyes widened slightly. "Did he now? And how is Ulquiorra, Szayel?" He turned his gaze to the pink-haired Octava.

"I healed his injury," Szayel replied. "And as it turns out, Ulquiorra is carrying two. Ichigo still has no idea, but he will most likely be told when Ulquiorra wakes up from his needed rest."

"How is it Ulquiorra was injured so easily?" Tousen asked, knowing Aizen would not ask and Gin would dance around the words.

"Well," Szayel began with a sigh. "As you know, as long as they are Hollow or Shinigami, any male can become pregnant. With Shinigami, their power is not affected by the pregnancy very much. They are a little slower in movements, but that's about it. With Hollows, the child develops quickly so it does not burden the carrier for very long. A Hollow actually becomes stronger during pregnancy so that they are able to bring a new life into the world and their spiritual pressure is so chaotic that both the Hollow and babe will stay stronger.

"However, pregnant Arrancar are a different story. We Arrancar can channel our energy better than a simple Hollow. But while a male Arrancar is carrying, the spiritual energy we possess is mostly going towards the child and the area it develops in. Our skin is hard like rock, but when carrying, we do weaken because of a majority of our energy going towards the child to make sure it does develop quickly, as well as healthy and strong. The more spiritual energy the carrier and sire possess, the stronger the child. But the babe needs the energy of its carrier. It will require the energy of its sire at times, but it is mostly the carrier's it needs.

"And with Ulquiorra carrying two, using twice as much energy than needed for one child, he has weakened quite a bit. More than three-fourths of his spiritual energy and power is going to the twins inside of him right now. Right now, Ichigo and Grimmjow are his only means of defense until the twins are born."

"Does Ulquiorra know of this?" Aizen spoke once Szayel went silent.

"Yes, I have spoken to him about that," the Espada replied. "When he first found out about his pregnancy, I informed him of the consequences. He did not seem to care, but at least told Grimmjow so he would know that he needs him for protection. It would be best to put Ulquiorra on paperwork and out of the feild until he has full power once again."

"How long would it take?" Gin asked this time, going over to Aizen's side.

"The pregnancy should be no longer than three months," Szayel stated, going through the calculations in his head. "And because he is the Cuatro Espada, once the twins are born, it should take a couple more months until he has all his power back. Until then, the children will be feeding off his power and when they deem his energy to be too low, they will start seeking out the energy of their sire."

"Ichigo should be informed of this as well," Tousen stated.

"As soon as Ulquiorra tells him about the twins, I'll be sure to inform him of everything else if his Hollow half doesn't beat me to it," Szayel chuckled lightly.

"I do not want Ichigo leaving Las Noches during all of this," Aizen said in a calm, but stern, tone. "Not only does he have a pregnant mate to look after, but now that the Shinigami know about him, it would not be wise to let him leave since they would try to capture him and execute him."

"Is that what you think?" someone asked before the four looked over to see Ichigo leaning against the wall.

"How long have you been there, Ichigo?" Gin asked in a confused tone, tilting his head to the side as his grin turned into a straight line.

"Long enough," Ichigo replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Saves you from repeating, right, Szayel?" The acknowledged Arrancar just rubbed the back of his head nervously. "So that is what everyone but me knows about?"

"Yep!" Gin repleid with the grin back on his face. "Ulquiorra wanted to tell you himself, but just didn't know how. So we all kept it a secret until you could hear it from him."

"He was also afraid that you would tell him to get rid of it," Szayel added.

Ichigo went wide-eyed. "Get rid of it?" he repeated in shock. "Why would I tell him that? I love kids! Unless they're annoying the hell out of me." The pink-haired Arrancar snickered slightly as Gin chuckled into Aizen's shoulder. "What?"

"That's what most kids do, Ichigo!" Szayel exclaimed through his snickering. Gin nodded in agreement with his normal grin on his face.

Ichigo just sighed slightly. "If that's what you think," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm gonna go check on Ulquiorra now. See ya later!" With a small wave, he turned and walked out.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Me: well that's the end 4 this chapter. does this count as a cliffy? cuz with the last 2 chappys being cliffhangers, i tried not 2 make this 1...i believe i failed...o well. review! ^^ plz?**


	4. Talks

**Me: okay, so now Ichi will confront Ulqui and Grimm about the 'secret' kept from him. Enjoy the new chapter! ^^**

**Disclaimer: no, I do not own Bleach, only the babies born in this story.**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The halls were deserted and quiet as the Prince made his way to the room he and his two lovers shared. All three had their own rooms, but those were mainly for whenever they had fights and needed to be separated for a while. Of course, everyone stayed in their own rooms whenever the three argued with each other. Ichigo hoped they wouldn't start one of 'those' fights when he spoke with the two.

He stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall that had a large gothic zero carved into the stone before pushing against the door to open it. It granted him passage before he stepped in and closed the door as quietly as he could in case Ulquiorra was still asleep. He turned from the door to see that Ulquiorra wasn't the only one asleep on his black bed, covered by a dark blue blanket. Grimmjow laid behind him with an arm under his own head while the other was draped over Ulquiorra's side. His nose was just an inch away from the dark locks.

With a small smile gracing his lips, Ichigo stepped closer to the bed. Once he was in front of it, he sat at the edge and ran his fingers through the Cuatro's silky hair, his fingertips lightly tracing his jaw line. Ulquiorra stirred lightly, but it was enough to wake Grimmjow, who looked up at the Arrancar Prince before sitting up. Ichigo let him yawn as the Sexta ruffled up his own hair then looked at him.

"Tired?" Ichigo playfully asked. "Or just wanted a cat nap?"

"Funny," Grimmjow groggily snorted.

"I wasn't gone that long," the orange-haired Arrancar pointed out. "But I overheard something when I went to find Szayel."

"What?" the Sexta asked as he removed the blanket from him, showing that he was only wearing his white slacks.

"About Ulquiorra," Ichigo replied as he pulled his hand back. "I didn't know he was able to get pregnant."

Grimmjow froze slightly, swearing under his breath. Ulquiorra wanted to tell him when he felt the time was right, but the Prince found out by overhearing, or more like eavesdropping if he knew him as well as he believed. "He was going to tell you," he stated. "He just wanted to make sure the time was right. You know how he is. He was fucking surprised and actually scared when Szayel told him why he kept throwing up in the mornings. He didn't know what you would think and it took him a week to tell me!"

"I wouldn't have reacted too badly," Ichigo chuckled. "And you know that, Ulquiorra. Just like I know you haven't been asleep since I walked in."

Green eyes slid opened and looked up at him. "How the hell can you tell?" Grimmjow asked as Ulquiorra sat up.

"Simple," Ichigo scoffed sarcastically. "He's a light sleeper and as soon as he moves or hears something, he wakes up but acts like he's still asleep."

"It would surprise any enemies that would attempt attacking me in my sleep," Ulquiorra commented.

"Yeah, well, Szayel said you can't do any fighting for a while," Ichigo stated. "Those two are weakening you and absorbing your strength and reiatsu. Even your skin is getting weaker."

"So I have no physical defense?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Yeah, if you think Grimmjow and I aren't physical," Ichigo replied with a playful smirk. Ulquiorra hit his head. "Ow." Grimmjow tried not to laugh at the expression on Ichigo's face, but Ulquiorra hit him as well.

"Why are you hitting us?!" Grimmjow yelled at him, rubbing his head where Ulquiorra's hand made contact.

"My hand just has that urge to make contact with both your heads," the pale Arrancar calmly replied, lifting up his hand to stare at it. "Blame my hand, not me."

Ichigo snorted back a laugh as Grimmjow glared at the petite Cuatro. "Alright then, Ulquiorra has a sense of humor," he commented, earning another hit on the head. "And needs to stop hitting us before we lose all our brain cells."

"You have brain cells?" Ulquiorra asked, tilting his head to the side.

Grimmjow burst out laughing and promptly fell off the bed because of it. He didn't seem to care though, judging from his continuing laughter. "That was a good one!" he exclaimed. "Total burn!"

"Does your hand have that urge again?" Ichigo asked, looking at Ulquiorra.

"No," Ulquiorra replied with a shake of his head. "But my foot seems to have developed a wanting of meeting his scrotum hard enough so that I would not have to worry about carrying his offspring." Grimmjow shut up.

"Anyway," the orange-haired Prince sighed, rubbing the back of his head as Grimmjow climbed back onto the bed. "Aizen's decided to keep you out of the field for a while unless Grimmjow and I are both with you since we're pretty much your protection. He'll probably send you out for spying missions since you're the best at those, but he wants you out of all fights until the babies are born and you have all your strength back. I cannot say I can argue with him on that."

"So he'll be stuck doing paperwork?" the Sexta asked.

"Hey! At least the paperwork will get done!" Ichigo commented, throwing his hands into the air. "But I highly doubt it. Szayel mentioned that since the babies are taking most of his reiatsu to stay healthy and he needs to rest whenever he feels tired. Got that, Ulquiorra?" Green eyes momentarily glared at him as if daring him to ask if he wasn't paying attention again. "I'll take that as a 'got it'. But other than that, he said the pregnancy would be a lot like a normal human's. So that meanings morning sickness, nausea, mood-swings, cravings, –"

"Getting fat," Ulquiorra added blandly.

"You won't be getting fat," Ichigo sighed.

"Wouldn't he go right back to being skinny once the kids are out?" Grimmjow asked.

"Of course he will," Ichigo replied with a scoff. "Ulquiorra, it's not getting fat. Alright? It's being pregnant with two kids."

"I will still be gaining extra weight because of cravings for foods I normally would not eat and because of the two I carry," the pale Arrancar pointed out, his eyes down-casting slightly.

"After the birth, any extra weight you possibly gained would be easy to work off," Ichigo stated.

"I'll help!" Grimmjow exclaimed, raising his hand into the air. Both stared at him. "What? Spars help a lot. And so does sex."

"I swear, Grimm, that's all you think about," Ichigo commented with a sigh as Ulquiorra laid back down and tucked the blanket under his chin. Ichigo looked down at him as the green orbs started to close. "Szayel wants to do another check-up tomorrow in the afternoon, just to let you know."

"Very well," Ulquiorra sighed before drifting into a light slumber once more.

Ichigo and Grimmjow sat in silence, giving Ulquiorra enough time to go into an actual slumber than his 'half-awake and half-asleep' sleep. Ulquiorra's breathing evened out after a while and his being fell still.

"Makes you wonder sometimes, huh?" Ichigo suddenly asked.

Grimmjow looked at his curiously. "Wonder what?"

"Well, about us three," the Arrancar Prince replied. "I mean, there's Ulquiorra. He's quiet, serious, and despite looking like a porcelain doll, he's one of the toughest strategists amongst the Espada. He's full of surprises and pops out of nowhere all the time. Not to mention that he's just so…I don't know the right words, but you get what I'm saying, right?"

"Yeah," Grimmjow replied with a single nod of his head.

"Then there's you," Ichigo continued.

"What about me?" the Sexta growled.

"That, for one," Ichigo sighed with a roll of his eyes. "You're temperamental, more muscular than Ulquiorra and I, and you practically have Split Personality. One minute, you're on a killing spree and the next, you're the lovable kitty-cat that we all love." Grimmjow glared at him for that 'kitty-cat' comment, but it was ignored. "You're hot-headed, Grimmjow. Don't even bother denying it, a natural warrior."

"And what about you?" Grimmjow asked.

"Me? I guess we can say I'm stuck in the middle between you two."

"Literally," Grimmjow added, grinning.

Ichigo reached over and hit his head. "That's another thing, you're perverted."

Grimmjow just snickered. "So, what is there to wonder about us three?" he asked.

"How do we get along together so well? How did we actually get close enough to have this?" He waved his hand in a circle above his head, indicating all three of them.

The teal-haired Arrancar just shrugged slightly. "Maybe because Ulquiorra and I are opposites and you being in the middle just means you blend right on in," he said.

"I guess so," Ichigo sighed, looking at Ulquiorra from the corner of his eyes. "What if those kids he's carrying are yours?" he suddenly asked. "I mean, we both top him."

"Well you top him more than I do," Grimmjow pointed out as he laid down behind the pale Arrancar. "Probably what made him think they're yours instead of mine."

"What if they are yours? Would you want to be a father?"

"I'm gonna be anyway, ain't I? Even if they aren't mine by blood, us three are in one hell of a relationship."

"That doesn't answer my question, Grimmjow."

The Sexta sighed slightly. "I don't know," he replied. "Never gave it much thought when I was alive and none when I first became an Arrancar. I guess it wouldn't be so bad. I just don't know what I need to do about it. Hell, I doubt I'm even father material."

Ichigo smirked slightly. "Yeah, with your brash attitude, I think you would make a horrible father," he laughed before he felt Ulquiorra's hand unconsciously hit his head. "He does that in his sleep?!"

"Ichigo, I am no longer surprised about the shit he can do while sleeping," Grimmjow grumbled.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was still bothering her. How had Ichigo been able to hide his Arrancar form so well and how had Kon been able to act like Ichigo every other week without any suspicion? Of course what got to her the most was that they didn't even suspect that Ichigo was hiding something at all and that they didn't even sense anything.

Rukia sighed as she sat down on Ichigo's bed, Kon still residing in Ichigo's body. "I still can't believe it," she murmured.

"It takes a while to get used to the idea," Kon stated from his spot at Ichigo's desk. "But you gotta remember, Rukia. Ichigo isn't the type of guy who just betrays everyone he cares about and hands them over to some evil guy on a silver platter. That one thing about him is the only reason why I kept it from everyone, because I know he wouldn't do anything to hurt anybody."

"He attacked Hitsugaya-taichou and everyone else," Rukia pointed out.

"Maybe it's because they attacked him first and hurt one of his boyfriends," Kon retorted, scratching the back of his head. "Come on, the Ichigo we know wouldn't attack anyone unless he had a good reason. And I've heard Arrancar are really protective of their mates."

"I suppose so," the Shinigami sighed, pulling her knees into her chest before wrapping her arms around her legs.

Kon sighed gently before going over to the bed and sitting down beside Rukia, placing an arm over her shoulder. "Rukia?" he softly called.

"He's working with Aizen now, how can we believe him never betraying us?!" Rukia exclaimed.

"Because unlike the Espada and other Arrancar, Ichigo is independent and has others here in the World of the Living and in Seireitei that he cares for," Kon replied. "Relax, Rukia. He wouldn't betray us. It's not in his nature. Remember what he always said about his name?"

"It doesn't mean Strawberry, it means He Who Protects," Rukia said in a low voice.

"Trust in that if it makes you feel better," the mod-soul advised.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You know," Gin said as he watched Aizen study the Hogyoku in his hand. "Ichigo may become a bit of a problem, koi."

"He is still a valuable asset," Aizen pointed out as he placed the Hogyoku away into its hiding spot. "After all, it is not very often the Arrancar Prince is reborn. Nor is it very often one can get him on their own side."

"He's still tied to the Shinigami and his family," Gin pointed out.

"Yes, but he has two mates here, two of my Espada," Aizen countered.

"He can turn them against you."

"He wouldn't risk them getting hurt in the slightest, especially with Ulquiorra in the condition that he's in. An Arrancar pregnant with one child weakens them, but with more than one, they are entirely dependant on their mate. Ulquiorra does carry two, so Ichigo wouldn't bother trying to turn anyone against me if he doesn't want Ulquiorra or Grimmjow hurt."

Gin tilted his head to the side. "Sou-kun, are you implying you would hurt your most valuable Espada just to keep Ichigo in line?" he asked before grinning. "I knew I loved your manipulative nature for a reason!"

Aizen just smirked before beckoning Gin over. The silver-haired man went over to his lover and was grabbed by Aizen's hand before pulling into his lap. He couldn't help the playful purr he made when Aizen started running his fingers through the silvery hair on his head. Who knew he purred? He didn't, but he found out one day and only did it with Aizen around.

"Just promise to be careful with Ichigo, Sou-kun," he murmured as Aizen's fingers continued running through his hair. "He's unpredictable."

"I know, love," Aizen chuckled. "I promise, Gin. I'll be careful when handling Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Good," his lover purred, wrapping his arms around Aizen's waist as his head pressed against his chest.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Yamamoto sighed heavily as the other captains that were still in Seireitei gathered into the hall where they had their meetings while his own fukutaichou was waiting for the other vice captains to gather in their own little meeting hall. He glanced around before noting that all present captains in the Soul Society were there. He cleared his throat gently.

"Now, in case no one from the World of the Living has contacted and informed you of past events, I shall," he stated. "Two and a half hours ago, Kurosaki Ichigo started to cough up blood." Unohana almost looked ready to go and investigate Ichigo's condition. "He had lost consciousness and the current Shinigami in Karakura Town had to force his soul from his body. His body was apparently a gigai Urahara Kisuke specially built for him when Kurosaki was a child and died from an unusual illness. The news I had received from Hitsugaya-taichou was both disturbing and curious.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is the Arrancar Prince." A few gasps were heard as eyes grew wide, but one let a feral grin split his face in half. **(I think we all know who that is.)**

"Are you absolutely sure, sotaichou?" Jyuushiro Ukitake asked in a quiet tone.

"Kurosaki said it himself," Yamamoto replied with a low sigh. "He also has two mates; both are Aizen's Espada, the Cuatro Espada and Sexta Espada."

"So what do we do about Kurosaki?" Byakuya Kuchiki asked.

"For now, we will leave it to Hitsugaya-taichou and his team to try and bring Ichigo back to our side," the elderly Shinigami stated. "But with two of Aizen's Espada as his mates, the chances are slim. We may have already lost him to that side."

"That boy is always doing the unexpected," Mayuri Kurotsuchi commented. "But if there is one thing about him that is expected, it's his loyalty."

"What are you talking about, Mayuri-taichou?" Soi Fon growled at him. "He may as well have sent us a note saying he's betrayed us!"

"Calm down, Soi Fon-taichou," Yamamoto ordered. "I am curious as to your words as well, Kurotsuchi-taichou."

"He may have two mates that are Aizen's Espada, but he does have more friends with the Shinigami and everyone that are Aizen's enemies," Mayuri pointed out. "Why would he betray us when everyone knows that little fact?"

"Mates are more precious than friends to an Arrancar," Byakuya stated. "If a mate is attacked, it would send the Arrancar into a blind rage. If a friend was attacked, they would fight, but not as fiercely."

"Still, the boy wouldn't turn on his friends that easily."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ever get the feeling that the world is just not right?" Szayel asked, playing with a strand of Nnoitra's black hair. "And no, I don't mean 'There's nothing left to kill' not right. I mean 'Am I the only sane one in this world?' not right."

Nnoitra shrugged uncaringly. "Nope," he replied. "Why?"

"Because I just got one of those feelings," the pink-haired Espada stated. "Don't know why, though. Others plotting, maybe?"

"Szayel, the world is just fucked up, alright?" Nnoitra sighed. "Seriously, Grimmjow tops the Arrancar Prince and Emo-Car and Emo-Car gets topped by the Arrancar Prince and Grimmjow. Let's not forget Emo-car is _pregnant_ with _twins_. Aizen's tea is still shit and I don't understand how we all kept our kidneys from it. Gin's a crazy bastard always creeping others out with his smiles. You're the sub for the most violent Espada. The Shinigami are doing who know what and who cares. The world is just fucked and not right at all, so why do you care?"

"Nnoi-koi, that's the norm," Szayel spoke slowly as if speaking to a child. He earned a glare for that. "I mean I have that feeling that something is going to change and we just don't know what to do about it once it happens."

Nnoitra shrugged again. "I can say with as much honesty as I can impossibly muster, I don't care."

Szayel rolled his eyes with a sarcastic snort. "Oh!" he suddenly chirped. "Guess what I got you!" Nnoitra looked at him with a raised eyebrow before Szayel reached under the bed they were laying on and pulled out a box. "Be right back!" He jumped from the bed and ran into the conjoined bathroom.

"What the hell?" Nnoitra muttered under his breath as he waited for his insanely happy mate return to the bed where hopefully they could start working on the most important thing in life: sex! **(His mind, not mine.)**

"Nnoitra," a singsong voice called before Nnoitra looked back over to the bathroom door before his only exposed eye grew wide at the sight of Szayel…in black and exposing leather! "Well? You like?"

"Like?" Nnoitra repeated. "Don't like. Fucking love! Now get your ass over here!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Me: I'm sorry, I just had to add in that last scene. Ok, I wanna no, ppl. Should Szayel get pregnant as well, or no? Vote on it!** **And plz, do review!**


	5. Please Calm Down

**Me: ok, I have 11 YES and 3 NO to Szayel being pregnant. He will be pregnant! ^^ it's just so fun to make guys suffer the way a woman does. But hey, Nnoitra may freak out but at least he could kill anyone that tries to hurt Szayel. Makes him happy. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter and sorry it took so long! ^^**

**I'm also going to put locations down whenever I change scenes so no one gets confused about where people are. Okay? No one said anything about it, but it just makes sense to me.**

**And in case anyone gets curious about something later on in this chapter, I just wanna make things clear. Hollows are souls that have lost their hearts, right? (Kind of like a Nobody! Or a Heartless seeing as Hollows feed off of other Hollows and such (was playing Kingdom hearts earlier)). So if Hollow have lost their hearts due to Hollowfication (I think they did, trying to remember here), then Arrancars don't have hearts either. Right? Don't Hollows lose their hearts? I thought they do. O well, in this story, they do! XP**

**Disclaimer: no, don't own Bleach. I own Ulqui's twins and Szayel's baby, no one else.**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

With a nearly silent yawn, Ulquiorra woke and blinked his eyes a couple times to clear out his vision. He noticed Grimmjow was right behind him with the Sexta's arms around his pale waist. Ichigo was laying in front of him with one arm under his head and his nose buried into Ulquiorra's black hair.

Normally, he wouldn't squirm, but he did need to get up and get some food. He was starving! So he did squirm just this once to get out of Grimmjow's arms and from between his two mates. As soon as he was free from them, he slipped on his white trench coat (glad to see that his pants were still on because one never really knows with Grimmjow) and headed out the door with one last smirk towards the other two still sleeping soundly on the bed.

The halls were deserted and quite, then again, not many Arrancar entered the Espada's area. They were the Elite while the others were just trash. The Espada area was its own large building with one floor for each Espada and their Fraccion or mates or whoever was with them. They even had their own kitchen every two floors so everyone else wouldn't have to travel far and if a fight broke out, there was always another place to eat and avoid.

The closest kitchen was actually on the floor he was currently occupying. It was also the most popular because it was always clean and always stocked. There was a kitchen on Stark's floor, but that was because he was too lazy to climb a few stairs. Another was on Harribel's, the floor that looked like it belongs to Egyptian princesses, which is normally why Harribel and her Fraccion are the only ones that go to that kitchen. Another was on the Fifth floor, Nnoitra's. Since it was mostly just Nnoitra and Tesla, occasionally Szayel on that floor, their kitchen was kept normal and had small amounts of food. Seventh floor had one, but it was always barren. And Aaroniero's kitchen on the ninth floor always reminded them of his zanpakuto and his abilities, making him the only one that eats there.

The last kitchen was on the eleventh floor, which was the floor that was recently built and proclaimed Ichigo's. Since Grimmjow and Ulquiorra became his mates, they spent a lot of time on the eleventh floor. Grimmjow made sure things were stocked enough since they always ate like a small army while Ulquiorra kept it clean. Ichigo tended to cook every now and again, which was another reason why the Eleventh Floor Kitchen was popular. Ichigo was an excellent cook despite his younger sister always cooking for him and his family.

So it was no surprise to him when he entered the kitchen on that floor and saw Szayel there with a cup of steaming liquid. The pink-haired Espada looked his way with a small smirk. "Hope you don't mind if I'm here for a while," he said.

"We've never minded before," Ulquiorra pointed out as he searched through the cabinets.

"If you're looking for the cinnamon, I put what little was left in my tea," he heard Szayel say. "Sorry."

Ulquiorra pouted slightly, something that made the Octava Espada raise an eyebrow. "I was wanting to get some ice cream and put cinnamon on it," he stated, still pouting then perking up and going through the cabinet again. "Wonder if there's any Dried Mince Onion."

"You're cravings are strange," Szayel commented, sipping at his tea.

"And putting cinnamon in your tea isn't strange?" Ulquiorra shot back with a glare.

The other froze for a moment then placed his cup back down. "I suppose it is," he agreed with a sigh, shrugging his shoulder gently.

Ulquiorra looked at him. "How long?" he asked.

"Not long, a week maybe," Szayel replied. "I haven't told Nnoitra yet. I was going to last night, but we got a little preoccupied."

"You mean you two got a little too deep into sex since you bought that leather outfit," Ulquiorra chuckled, almost laughing out loud at Szayel's bright red face.

"Shut up!" Szayel whined. "It's not my fault! You picked out the outfit!"

Ulquiorra shrugged. "You didn't have to get it," he argued playfully as he grabbed a container full of dried minced onions and then headed to the freezer. He opened it up and almost squealed happily when he saw the chocolate ice cream.

"But I thought it would make his reaction less…"

"Unexpected?" the Cuatro supplied as he took the half-filled tub of ice cream and sprinkled some minced onion on it. "Hm…needs something else…"

"I don't know how he would react to being a father," Szayel sighed, grabbing a thin straw before stirring his tea with it. "He ain't the most responsible Espada, after all."

"Neither is Grimmjow, but he reacted well to the idea of a child," Ulquiorra pointed out, going through the cabinets once again. "Ah-ha!" he declared, pulling out a jar. "Guacamole!"

Szayel shivered slightly. He was starting to worry about his own future cravings. Then again, maybe Ulquiorra's were a little stranger because he was carrying two children to tell him what they wanted him to eat while he only had one to worry about. Maybe his own food cravings wouldn't be as bad as Ulquiorra's were starting to get. "Well Grimmjow probably reacted well because he probably thought neither of the twins are his," the pink-haired Espada stated.

"He thought there was only one at that time," Ulquiorra commented, stuffing a spoon full of dried onion-sprinkled chocolate ice cream with a dab of guacamole on it.

"My comment remains the same." He looked down at his cup of tea before looking back up at Ulquiorra. "Is there any hot sauce in the cabinet?"

"Grimmjow adds hot sauce to practically everything he eats," Ulquiorra scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "We got a separate cabinet full of different types." To prove his point, he walked to the other side of the room and lazily opened one of the cabinet doors to reveal two shelves full of hot sauce. Szayel could almost feel his mouth watering.

Almost half an hour later, Grimmjow and Ichigo came into the kitchen, not really surprised to see Szayel. But they almost lost their appetite when they saw what the two Espada were eating. Szayel had a bowl of cereal filled with hot sauce with bits of hot mustard floating at the top of cereal bits. Ulquiorra looked like he was finishing off his third tub of ice cream (if the two empties ones by his chair were anything to go by). One would think it was harmless, but it had guacamole and minced onions and even bits of sushi mixed in it.

"What is going on here?" Ichigo unsurely asked, not wanting to anger the two. Sure he was stronger, but one was his mate and the other had a very violent and overprotective mate.

"Szayel's pregnant," Ulquiorra said through his stuffed mouth.

"Great," Grimmjow groaned, running a hand through his blue hair. "Just what we need. A Mini Nnoitra."

"Why do I suddenly feel insulted?" Szayel muttered under his breath.

Ulquiorra shook his head a couple times. "Because Grimmjow's that mean," he replied, waving his spoon between Szayel and Grimmjow.

Grimmjow just looked at him in confusion before shrugging and pulling out whatever he could find for breakfast. Ichigo elbowed him in the ribs, moving him over, then pulled out a box that the other three Espada recognized as the dried mixture he always used to make waffles. Didn't matter who was eating what, everyone wanted Ichigo's waffles, even if they were on different floors.

"So how far as you, Szayel?" Ichigo asked as he poured a couple cups of the dry mixture into a large glass bowl.

"Maybe a week," Szayel replied with a shrug. "I'm not sure."

"Told Nnoitra yet?" Ichigo asked.

"Was gonna," the pink-haired Espada replied. "Got distracted."

"With sex," Ulquiorra added, almost giggling at Szayel's bright red face that almost matched his hair.

"I hate you," Szayel growled at his superior.

"Hey!" they heard Nnoitra's voice yell from the hallway before he walked through the doorway. "Any of ya guys seen-Oh! Szayel, what the fuck, man? Disappearing like that!"

"I was hungry," Szayel said with a pout. "Why are you mad at me?"

Grimmjow and Ichigo both turned away from the nearly crumbling Quinta Espada, trying to hold in their snickers. Trust Szayel to make Nnoitra crumble like a dry cookie. There was no denying Szayel was the only one who could do it. Even Tesla couldn't get Nnoitra to crumble.

"Because I fucking wake up and you're fucking gone!" the one-eyed Espada exclaimed.

"You fuck when you wake up and are you accusing me of fucking when I'm gone from your bed?" Szayel snarled with a glare.

"Not what I meant and you know it!" Nnoitra growled. "Quit putting words into my mouth!"

"But it's such a big mouth!" Ulquiorra finally cracked up laughing, bent over the table. Grimmjow soon started laughing hysterically after him, unable to hold it in when he saw Nnoitra's shocked face. Ichigo just sighed and shook his head, looking towards his two laughing mates then to his one stunned friend and his stunned friend's giggling mate.

He sometimes spent times wondering why his life couldn't be normal. Why couldn't he just be a normal teenager with friends and a family with no special abilities? Then he spent time with his mates and Arrancar friends and realized something. This was his home. This was his life, despite not being normal in the eyes of most. This was his life and it was as normal as it was going to get.

Of course, if his Shinigami and Vaizard friends ever saw these kitchen scenes, they would probably wonder what was wrong with the world. After all, the Arrancar they faced before were vicious and bloodthirsty. There was no doubt that they were, but they only showed their sense of humor in Las Noches amongst friends. Among those they considered family.

"I demand you take that back right now!" Nnoitra yelled.

"You're Fifth and I'm Fourth!" Ulquiorra pointed out, sticking his tongue out at the Quinta. "I don't have to listen to you!"

Even if they got into very strange arguments.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-Urahara Shouten-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Why should we wait only three days?!" Rukia suddenly yelled while the others were talking about battle strategies in case Aizen sent any Arrancar their way.

"What are you talking about, Rukia?" Renji asked.

"The So-taichou said we should wait three days until we bring Ichigo back," she replied. "Why three days? Why can't we go now?! For all we know, Aizen has him and is trying to poison his mind to fight against us!"

"Kurosaki isn't like that," Hitsugaya pointed out. "You have known him longer than we have. You should realize that he won't listen to anyone. He defies orders all the time. He won't listen to Aizen."

"Almost everyone of high rank are Ichigo's friends, Rukia," Matsumoto placated the smaller Shinigami. "He has so many people he cares for in Seireitei, and he has his family and even more friends here in the World of the Living. I bet right now, the taichous and fukutaichous in Seireitei are trying to figure out what they can do to bring him back as soon as they possibly can."

"It's only been one day so far, Rukia," Renji stated with a wave of his hand. "Just a couple more days. If he isn't back by then, we'll go to Hueco Mundo and drag his ass back here."

"It won't be that easy," Urahara sighed, tilting his favorite hat down slightly. "You guys said two of Aizen's Espada are Ichigo's mates. If we do managed to drag Ichigo back here, his mates won't be very happy about it. And you don't want to make an Arrancar mate angry. They tend to get very violent."

"But still, why wait for three days?" the young Kuchiki asked with pleading eyes.

"So-taichou's orders," Ikkaku said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look, if Ichigo is still our friend, he would probably be back before then. He'll also tell us what the hell is going on. Probably."

"Ikkaku's right," Yumichika sighed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Ichigo will come back, Rukia. There's no denying it. He isn't one to leave everybody in the dark."

Rukia exhaled gently. "I suppose so," she said. "But it doesn't feel right."

"Not many things do," Urahara stated. "But the most we can do is wait for him and plan for any possible attacks."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-Las Noches Espada Tower: Eleventh Floor Kitchen-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You're what?" Nnoitra asked with raised eyebrows and a wide eye.

"Pregnant," Szayel repeated slowly, speaking as if his mate was an incompetent child before speaking quicker with more annoyance each sentence. "Bun in the oven? Carrying a baby? With child? You know! Pregnant!"

"I thought mood swings and weird cravings didn't start until a few more months down the road," Ichigo commented.

Ulquiorra smacked him on the back of his head. "Shut up," he warned.

Grimmjow leaned over to him and whispered, "I think those show up in Arrancar pregnancies earlier than humans."

"Obviously," Ichigo growled lightly at him.

"Don't fucking talk to me like I'm stupid!" Nnoitra yelled at his mate. "I know what 'pregnant' means!"

"Well if you know what it means, maybe you shouldn't stare into space like a dumbass inferior being!" Szayel shouted back. "Oh, wait! You are a dumbass inferior being with no sense of responsibility and with a fucking death wish!"

"Wonder if Szayel knows kids can hear everything when they're in the womb," Ichigo commented.

"Probably does but doesn't care," Grimmjow replied as Ulquiorra nodded with the spoon in his mouth.

"You calling me a dumbass?" Nnoitra snarled at Szayel. "You say I have no fucking responsibility and that I'm just an inferior being?! Well new flash, bitch! You are the fucking mate of an inferior being so what does that make you? Huh?"

"An idiot," Szayel growled. "There! I admitted it! I'm an idiot that thought maybe, just maybe, I could have a decent mate! Looks like I was fucking wrong! But hey, everyone makes mistakes. Mine's just one I can't deal with!"

"You can't deal with me, huh? Fine then! Fuck you, bitch!"

"You already did and that's why I'm like this!"

"I don't fucking care!"

"Exactly! You don't care if I'm pregnant or not! All you want is fucking sex!"

"Never hear you complain, whore," Nnoitra said lowly before Szayel slapped his face.

"How dare you call me a whore!" the pink-haired Espada hissed before pushing past Nnoitra and heading out the door. "I fucking hate you!"

"Fine! Fucking leave!" Nnoitra yelled at him.

"I lost count of how many times they said 'fuck'," Grimmjow stated as he looked at Ichigo, who just shrugged. **(In case anyone is curious…they said it about ten times.)**

"You know he's probably going to do something completely irrational, right?" Ulquiorra pointed out. "Or you just made him cry. Way to go, dumbass."

"You stay out of this!" Nnoitra hissed, pointing a finger towards his pregnant superior.

"Nnoitra, you just fucked up big time," Ichigo commented, getting to his feet so he could wash his now empty plate. "He's a bit more fragile now that's he's pregnant. I suggest getting him and calming him down before he hurts himself or aborts your kid."

"Aborts?" Nnoitra repeated.

"He basically kills it while it's still in early development or he removes it from his womb by force before it's ready, which does kill the baby," Ulquiorra said.

"He wouldn't do that," Nnoitra scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Know for a fact or you think?" Ichigo asked him.

Nnoitra looked at the ceiling for a second before groaning, "Shit!" He sonido'ed after his upset mate to stop him from doing something he would consider a real mistake.

Grimmjow pursed his lips slightly before popping them. "Well, I think someone is sleeping on the couch for a week," he stated.

Ulquiorra shook his head. "A month," he corrected.

"How would you know?" the Sexta asked.

"Because if either of you two said something like that to me, I would make you both sleep on the couch for a month," he replied with narrowed eyes. "And if either of you try to get back in the bed, I would just kick you both out after kneeing you both in the balls."

Ichigo and Grimmjow paled drastically. They knew it was a threat their small mate would keep. "We better watch what we say around him," Ichigo whispered to the Sexta. "If Szayel got that pissed that quick, who knows what could set Ulquiorra off!"

"Ulqui's calmer than Szayel," Grimmjow argued in a whisper.

"But Ulqui's pregnant with twins! Szayel just got one!"

"Good point."

"I can hear you two," Ulquiorra sighed with a roll of his eyes.

"No you can't," Grimmjow quickly said.

"Are you calling me deaf now?" Ulquiorra asked with narrowed eye.

"No," Ichigo replied, covering Grimmjow's mouth. "Grimm's just being stupid." He could see the Sexta glaring at him from the corner of his eyes.

Ulquiorra gave a low hum before getting to his feet and leaving the kitchen. As soon as he was in the hallway, he smirked. This might actually be fun, if it weren't for the cravings, mood swings, and getting fat. With that thought now back in his mind, his smirk fell into a pout. He didn't want to get fat…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-Szayel's Lab-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Szayel-sama!" his two bouncy Fraccion cried out when he entered the room. He grabbed one by the head and threw him over his shoulder. He really didn't feel like dealing with those idiots. He often thought to himself why he made his medicine a living creature, but passed it off as one of his mad scientist moments.

"Stupid Nnoitra," Szayel grumbled as he dropped into a chair at the table where his latest experiment was. "Why does he have to be such an ass about it?!"

"Szayel-sama?" the twin of the Fraccion he threw spoke uneasily.

"Leave me alone," Szayel growled at him before all his Fraccion in the room left without hesitation. He sighed heavily, placing a hand on his stomach. "Hopefully you, little one, won't turn out to be an ass like your father."

"I take offense to that!" he heard his mate shout, making Szayel jump in surprise.

He growled lowly in his throat. If he still had his heart, he would have heart attacks regularly because of Nnoitra's habit of popping up out of nowhere! "What do you want?" he snarled at his much taller and stronger mate, though not turning around to face him.

Nnoitra brushed it off. He knew Szayel wouldn't hurt him. Not only was Szayel weaker than him, but they were also mates. Arrancars that have mates can't hurt their mate, no matter what their mate was. It was the Golden Rule to Arrancars. Strange though since Hollows had a tendency to eat their own mates. "I wanted to apologize," he grumbled, kicking the floor. Apologizing wasn't his thing.

He fought through everything. That was his way.

He had to fight for the spot of the Quinta Espada. He couldn't beat Ulquiorra, it was a lost cause trying to beat him. He hated being under a female like Halibel, but if he couldn't beat Ulquiorra, he couldn't beat Halibel. Didn't mean he didn't try, though.

Another thing he had to fight for was Szayel. He was nearly impossible to get. Szayel was picky about his lovers. They had to prove themselves to him. Many would think that Szayel and his mind were a put-off, but Nnoitra really did love the sadistic things Szayel tended to think of and do. It took him two months to prove to Szayel he was enough to be his lover before they became mates.

Now here he was, trying to fight to get his mate to forgive him by the only way he could think of: apologizing. He didn't know what he would try next if Szayel rejected. He could always try and do what Ichigo does to get Ulquiorra to forgive him after they fight. Though chocolate was always a passion for the Fourth, it wasn't for the Eighth. He preferred new test subjects he couldn't get his hands on easily.

Szayel let out a low hum, placing his finger on his chin. He probably overreacted back in the kitchen. He did kind of just 'drop the bomb' (as human say) on his mate. He wanted to tell Nnoitra in a different way other than Ulquiorra asking him what he was going to name the baby if it was a boy. He wanted to tell him in some way other than Nnoitra looking at him strangely and ask what their superior was talking about then just say "I'm pregnant". Not how he wanted to tell his mate.

"If you actually say it, I'll accept it," he stated with a smirk. He just wanted to annoy his mate for a little while longer. If there was one thing Nnoitra was, he was prideful. He rarely wanted to apologize and actually say 'I'm sorry'. He only did once when he threw a fit and destroyed half of Szayel's lab, thankfully the half that had nothing important going on.

His smirk grew a little at Nnoitra's tight lips before the taller Arrancar sighed. "I'm sorry," he grumbled almost incoherently.

Szayel heard it, but he wanted to mess around a little more. "What did you say?" he asked. "I didn't quite hear it."

"Sorry," Nnoitra grumbled under his breath again.

"Still didn't hear you, love," he stated with a grin.

"I'm fucking sorry, alright?!" his mate finally yelled out. "Want me to go stand on top of Las Noches and yell it out for all of Hueco Mundo to hear?! I fucking will!"

"You'll scare everyone if you did that," Szayel commented, finally turning around in his chair. "Of course it would be quite amusing." Nnoitra glared at him, which only earned a few nearly quiet chuckles from the smaller Espada. "I actually wanted to tell you last night, but didn't get the chance."

"Was it why you asked that question?" the Quinta said, sitting in the chair next to Szayel. "That 'ever feel like there's something wrong with the world' question?"

"Sorta," Szayel replied, placing his cheek on top of his palm. "I just had a feeling that something was going on. But I was planning to tell you about the baby last night, but things got a little out of hand."

Nnoitra hummed before reaching over and pulling the pink-haired Espada from his chair and onto his lap. He placed his chin on the crown of Szayel's head with his arms wrapped around his mate's waist. Szayel nuzzled his chest gently, leading one of Nnoitra's hands to his stomach. "That it in there, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," Szayel replied. "Do you want a boy or girl?"

"Don't care," Nnoitra said with a shrug.

"Names then? I need help on that."

"Anya if a girl, and Diablo if a boy," Nnoitra said with a smirk, feeling Szayel shake his head slowly. "What?"

"I don't have a problem with the girl name, but Diablo?"

"It's badass! And will strike fear into whoever hears it!"

"We are not naming our son Diablo."

"Damn."

Szayel thought for a second. "How about Ramses?"

"After an Egyptian? How is it better than Diablo?"

"I think it's much better than Diablo."

"No, Diablo's better," Nnoitra scoffed.

"But I like Ramses."

Nnoitra looked down at his mate to see him pouting, but didn't falter. "Diablo."

"Ramses."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Me: well that's one way to end the chapter. I think this was one of my more humorous chapters I ever wrote. Anyway, I got one more thing to ask of you readers. Do you like the names I picked out? **

**First off, should Ulquiorra have twin boys, twin girls, or one of each? I will need help with names, no matter the choice. I can't think of anything other than one name and it's for a girl. But if you all decided for him to have twin girls, I need help with another name. If you want him to have a boy (either one of two) I will need help with the naming as well. If one, if not both, is a girl, I wanna name her Masaki after Ichi's mother. Sound good?**

**Second, should Szayel have a boy or a girl? If he has a boy, should I name him Diablo or Ramses or something else? If something else, please tell me what you would like his name to be and I'll put it up to vote. If he has a girl, do you like the name Anya? Again, if not, please tell me what you would prefer and I will put it up to vote.**

**Review!**


	6. No Side

**Me: Alright, here is what we have so far concerning Ulqui and Szayel. **

**Ulquiorra****:**

_**Genders**_**:**

**2 Boys- 14**

**2 Girls- 4**

**1 Boy, 1 Girl- 18**

_**Names**_**: ****Girl**

**Masaki (12), Yuuki, Marissa, Geneva, Lilith, Helena, Rachel, Scarlet, Adriana, Raven, Isis, Kyra, Rukia (Believe it or not), Yukihime**

**Boy**

**Altor, Sorra, Shion, Light, Nanaki, Ori, Micka, Dragomir, Angelus, Nathaniel, Romiel, Teru, Shumi, Itsuki, Nova, Nobu, Tobi, Tokasha, Dhark, Dai, Keichi, Kanou, Sora, Masahiro, Kazou, Hito, Hiro, Chaos, Masiku (2), Shumi, Natsume**

**I got more boy names than girl names here…**

**Szayel****:**

_**Gender**_**:**

**Boy- 12**

**Girl- 11**

_**Names**_**:**

**Boy**

**Vires, Basil, Ash, Set, Ramses (8), Diablo (2)**

**Girl**

**Anya (6), Akira, Kaminari, Tsuki, Sukai, Nala, Akane, Aki, Sarumi- **

**And here I have more girl than guy names…**

**So that is what we have so far. Anyone want to vote over this? Please do!**

**By the way. I am sorry for not updating this sooner. I have way too many stories ideas in my head and I am trying to sort them all out. And then my current stories get neglected. I am unsure as to how often I will update this story, so please do be patient with me. Thank you.  
**

**Disclaimer: don't own Bleach, only Ulqui's twins and Szayel's baby**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ichigo looked around for a moment then opened a gargantuan when he made sure no one was in the room he was occupying. It was only two days since he came back, but he felt like he had to do this. He probably didn't explain to his friends enough and just felt that he should reassure them. A second rip appeared in front of him not long after he entered the dark corridor between the two worlds. He leaped through it and headed towards Orihime's house, knowing that's where the Shinigami would be. If they weren't there, then he would try Urahara's Shouten.

Thankfully, they were there speaking with the So-Taichou. This made things slightly easier for him. "Knock, knock," he joked, causing the Shinigami in the room to turn around with their hands on their zanpakutos. "Geez, if I knew that was how you were going to react, I would have stayed back in Las Noches instead of coming here."

"Ichigo?" Rukia warily asked. "That really you?"

"No, I'm the Tooth Fairy," Ichigo scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "Who the hell do you think I am?!"

"We weren't exactly expecting you to return so easily, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya stated. "We thought we would have to drag you back."

"Not coming back," Ichigo said with a shrug of his shoulder. "Maybe I should explain things a little better since everything got off on the wrong foot last time."

"What do you mean you're not coming back?!" Renji exclaimed.

"Exactly as I said," Ichigo sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I'll probably have to remind Aizen again, but I'm going to tell you guys now. All of you are my friends and I won't fight against you. But Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are my mates and most of the Espada are my friends as well. I won't fight them. I won't fight for either side."

"Kurosaki, we cannot fight this war without you," Yamamoto stated. "Aizen has a advantage over all of us, a advantage he does not have over you. We have all seen his Shikai, something you have not. Even without releasing his sword, he can make us see his illusions and make us fight one another while he stands on the sidelines and watches. You have not seen his Shikai, thus you wouldn't fall for his illusions."

"I already said I won't fight," Ichigo growled. "Aizen may be a power-hungry pain in the ass, but I won't fight him. It's out of the question."

"So you'll fight with him?" Ikkaku asked with narrowed eyes.

"No," Ichigo replied, shaking his head. "I won't fight with or against him. This isn't my battle and it never was. But if you do manage to lose and if Aizen does look like he's trying to become the new God, he'll have to get through me first. I won't let him destroy the world. And I won't let him kill any of you."

"You make it sound like you think you can defeat him all on your own without help from anyone," Rukia commented.

Ichigo scoffed. "I already told you that I'm the Arrancar Prince," he pointed out. "Aizen only wanted me in his army because he figured with me on his side, he would win. When I told him that I won't fight against you guys, he got really angry and tried to force me to fight with him against you. I already showed him defeat once. I told him I won't hurt those I care about. I said that I'm not like the other Arrancar under his command. I have much more than he could ever offer."

"What if he tries something that would make you obey him?" Rukia asked.

"He wouldn't," Ichigo chuckled. "He knows that if he even tried, things wouldn't exactly go his way. Hell, if he tried anything, you guys wouldn't have to worry about him. Anyway, I just came to tell you guys that, but I gotta go."

"Wait, Kurosaki Ichigo!" the So-Taichou ordered as Ichigo turned around and was about to head back out.

"I already told you my answer," Ichigo pointed out. "I have two mates, one of them is pregnant with twins. I will not risk them in this war. I will not fight for Aizen. And I will not fight for you. I will remain neutral because of the friends I have on both sides. I do not wish to betray either friends, but if I must, I will fight for you against Aizen. If he defeats you and tries to take over the world or destroy Karakura Town, I will stop him myself."

Yamamoto was silent for a moment. "Is that the most we can ask of you?" he asked the young Arrancar Prince.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied.

"I suppose it will have to do then," Yamamoto commented. "You already have too much on your shoulders as it is. I suppose we are selfish and desperate to add one more burden to you."

"Suppose you are," the Arrancar Prince chuckled with a small shrug of his shoulder.

"But you are the only one who could defeat Aizen, so of course we would try to bring you to our side," Yamamoto continued as though he wasn't interrupted. "I understand how Arrancars are with their mates. They value them over any others, so I shouldn't think you are any different. Perhaps you could attempt one thing for us."

Ichigo looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"You say that some of his Espada are your friends, correct?"

"They won't ally themselves with Shinigami," Ichigo pointed out blandly. "They only accepted me easier because I was once a Vaizard and I am the Arrancar Prince. But all of you are Shinigami. If you are going to ask me to try and lead a rebellion against Aizen using his own Espada or try and convince them to ally themselves with you, you got another things coming. The Espada aren't stupid. They won't ally themselves with an enemy. Aizen has done plenty for them to earn their respect…in a few cases."

The So-Taichou let out a low hum. "Then there is nothing I can ask of you?" he sighed.

"Nothing," the Arrancar confirmed. "I already told you what I will do if it comes to that. I won't spy. I won't suddenly appear in the middle of the battle and fight Aizen and his Espada. Sorry, but I can't risk anything."

"Risk?" Hitsugaya asked this time. "Risk what?"

Ichigo sighed then turned around fully. "If I fight for you, Aizen will hurt Ulquiorra and Grimmjow," he pointed out. "If I fight for him, I know you won't hurt your own, but that in a way would be the ultimate betrayal. I would have to fight against you if I fought for him. I already explained to Aizen I won't fight for either side, now I'm telling you." He raised his hand then slashed the air next to him, opening a gargantuan. "Now I really have to get back because Ulquiorra throws fits when he gets worried. Not to mention I wasn't even supposed to leave."

He stepped into the gargantuan and it quickly closed behind him, leaving silent companions and friends.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I'm gonna get fat because of these spawns in me," Ulquiorra complained. Grimmjow, who was at the other side of the room playing poker with Nnoitra, tilted his head back with a roll of his eyes.

"I know how you feel," Szayel sighed sympathetically.

"No you don't," the Cuatro argued. "You're having only one. I'm having twins."

"Alright, so I don't know exactly how you feel," the other agreed, "but you're not the only one that's gonna get fat. And I actually consider you lucky."

"Why?" Ulquiorra scoffed. "I'm gonna be fatter than you, moodier than you, and my cravings are so strange I don't know which one is making me crave which food. The two are already arguing with each other over what I eat and when one doesn't like what I eat, it makes me throw it all up and then the other is unhappy. I'm not even that far yet and it feels like they are trying to ruin me!"

"True points," Szayel agreed with a nod of his head. "But at least your mates have tact. I can't trust Nnoitra to say a decent thing."

"I'm right here, ya know!" Nnoitra exclaimed from across the room.

"And I'm only saying the truth," Szayel yelled back at him. "Seriously, you have two mates that would argue with you as soon as you start saying 'I'm fat'. Nnoitra would probably say something very stupid."

Nnoitra scoffed then looked back at Grimmjow. "Why am I with him again?" he asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Grimmjow replied with his own question. "Full House."

"Damn it! I got a fucking lousy hand!"

"I hope your child's first word is not a cuss word considering how much both of you cuss," Ulquiorra commented, placing his chin into his hand while looking over to the other pair.

"I do not swear," Szayel stated with a wave of his hand.

"You do when you and Nnoitra have arguments," the pale Arrancar pointed out.

"What some see as a fight, others see as serious foreplay," the Octave said with a smirk.

"Screw your kid saying a curse word for its first word, it'll turn out perverted," Grimmjow snickered before the door opened. "Hey, Ichi! Where ya been?"

"Just on an errand," Ichigo replied, going over to the gambling pair and leaning over Nnoitra. "This ain't your type of game, Nnoitra. Why do you bother trying?"

"I'm trying to figure out how this cat is cheating without me noticing," Nnoitra grumbled.

"One, I don't cheat," Grimmjow defended. "You just suck ass. And two, you barely notice anything since you only have ONE eye!"

Ichigo stepped back seconds before Nnoitra lunged at the Sexta. "Well there went the poker game," Szayel sighed as Ichigo made his way over to Ulquiorra and gave him a small kiss on the lips.

"You know," Ulquiorra chuckled. "I could throw your earlier comment back into your face during this."

Both Sexta and Quinta stopped their fight, stared wide-eyed at their mates, then at each other, and jumped off while exclaiming disgustingly. "What did I miss?" Ichigo asked, sitting backwards in the chair next to his pale mate.

"Szayel said what some see as a fight, others see as serious foreplay," the Cuatro replied with a smirk. Ichigo gapped at his mate then at Szayel.

"Well," the pink-haired Arrancar sighed. "Some do." He was silent for a few seconds. "Nnoitra tends to the most."

"Alright, time for Szayel to shut up," Nnoitra commented.

"Make me," Szayel challenged with a smirk.

Nnoitra raised an eyebrow, made his way over to Szayel, picked him up then threw him over his shoulders before leaving the room with his protesting mate.

Ichigo, Grimmjow, and Ulquiorra watched the pair go silently before one of them finally broke the silence. "Well, he said to make him," Grimmjow commented with a grin.

"Grimmjow, you're a pervert," Ichigo sighed with a shake of his head.

Ulquiorra suddenly snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot," he said. "Aizen-sama wanted to talk to you, Ichigo."

"About what?"

"I don't know."

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I'll go and see what he wants then," he stated, walking out of the room and leaving his two mates.

Grimmjow looked down at Ulquiorra with a raised eyebrow. "You think Aizen's given up on trying to convince him?" he asked.

"No," Ulquiorra replied. "He's too stubborn. Kind of like you." The Sexta growled lightly at him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This probably won't end very well," Gin pointed out, for once without his customary grin, from his spot on Aizen's lap. "You know how he is, Sou-kun. No matter what you do, he won't give in."

"True," Aizen agreed with a soft chuckle, running his fingers through his lover's silver hair. "Yet he knows what I am capable of."

"He also knows he can beat you, or did you forget about that?" Gin asked playfully.

"No, I didn't," Aizen said, his usual smirk fading a bit. Why did Gin have to bring that up?

Of course he knew the Arrancar Prince would be powerful, perhaps stronger than Aizen himself currently was, but he did not expect the Prince to be Kurosaki Ichigo and thought he could easily defeat him into submission. No. That wasn't what happened. Kurosaki defeated him and then went ahead and gave him a few 'ground rules'. It did not matter though. Once the Hogyoku gave him the power he so desired, then Ichigo would not defeat him so easily.

The door opened, breaking Aizen from his thoughts, and a certain Prince entered the throne room, not caring that Gin was in Aizen's lap or worried about this meeting. Ichigo is the Arrancar Prince, after all. He was stronger than even Yammi when he released Ira, his zanpakuto, and became the Cero Espada. Even Barragan would bow down to this being.

"Ulquiorra said you wanted to see me," Ichigo said uncaringly, looking up towards Aizen. "What about?"

"The war will happen eventually," Aizen jumped right in.

"I already told you, just like I told the Shinigami back home," Ichigo pointed out, even slipping in his little errand run, which made Aizen's eyes narrow slightly. "I will not fight for you because that would be betraying my friends and family. But I will not fight against you because I know how little you value the Espada. If I turn again you, you would hurt Ulquiorra and Grimmjow."

"Now what makes you believe I would do such a thing like that?" Aizen asked. "Ulquiorra is too loyal to dispose of and Grimmjow is still quite powerful."

"I'm not stupid, Aizen," Ichigo pointed out, a slight shift in his voice. "I know how little you care about your followers. I'm gonna say this one more time. I am not your warrior, nor am I the warrior of Seireitei. If you even think about harming my mates to get me to cooperate with you, Soul Society won't have to worry about you anymore. Because I will kill you."

"You are sure about your decision?" Aizen asked, tilting his head down a little bit.

"Yes," Ichigo answered. "And I mean it. I will even bring in Vasto Lordes to protect my mates from you if you try anything whenever I leave. I'm not your pawn. I'm not dependent on you. And I won't accept any threat you throw my way." He turned and started to walk away. "I think we're done here, so bye."

As soon as he was out the door, Gin looked over at his lover. "Well that didn't go how you planned, did it?" he asked, grinning widely.

"No, it didn't," Aizen said with a frown.

"You look stressed, Sou-kun," Gin pointed out, running his thin fingers through Aizen's brown hair. "Do you need some help with a little relief?"

Aizen returned the grin. "That would be nice, Gin," he answered.

"Yay!" Gin exclaimed. "I'm going to the 'Toy Closet' to get a few things!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Me: not that long, I know, but I'm working on it. And I could not help that last part. Gin just strikes me as the kinky kind and would have a 'Toy Closet' somewhere nearby. That's just how I tend to see him sometimes.**

**So please vote concerning the names I already have, I will still take a few more suggestions, but let's see how far we can go with the ones I have. Review and vote! **


End file.
